Eva Ibbotson - Let Sleeping Sea-Monsters Lie

The Brollachan was puzzled. He looked under the stool and behind the door but there was no sign of her. But though he was puzzled, he was not worried. He felt very close to his mother. And because it made him tired to be so clever he lay down again — but further from the fire — and fell asleep.

The old man took half his beard out of his right ear and half his beard out of his left ear and came over to have a look. He could see the Brollachan’s mother inside the Brollachan as clear as clear. He could even see the wart on the end of her nose. She was still talking and talking and talking but Brollachans are soundproof so he couldn’t hear a thing.

So he smiled and nodded at the Brollachan as if to say, yes, you can stay, and went back to his rocking chair. The next day he made a fireguard so that the Brollachan wouldn’t get burnt. And then he and the Brollachan lived together very happily. Because both of them had said all they were ever going to say and each was happy to let the other be the kind of person that he was.

Eva Ibbotson was born in Vienna, but when the Nazis came to power her family fled to England and she was sent to boarding school. She became a writer while bringing up her four children, and her bestselling novels have been published around the world. Her books have also won and been shortlisted for many prizes. Journey to the River Sea won the Nestlé Gold Award and was runner-up for the Whitbread Children’s Book of the Year and the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize. The Star of Kazan won the Nestlé Silver Award and was shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal. The Secret of Platform 13 was shortlisted for the Smarties Prize, and Which Witch? was runner-up for the Carnegie Medal. The Ogre of Oglefort was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize and the Roald Dahl Funny Prize. Eva Ibbotson died peacefully in October 2010 at the age of eighty-five.

Let Sleeping Sea-Monsters Lie… and Other Cautionary Tales

Dial A Ghost

Monster Mission

Not Just a Witch

The Beasts of Clawstone Castle

The Great Ghost Rescue

The Haunting of Hiram

The Ogre of Oglefort

The Secret of Platform 13

Which Witch?

Journey to the River Sea

The Dragonfly Pool

The Star of Kazan

For older readers

A Company of Swans

A Song for Summer

Magic Flutes

The Morning Gift

The Secret Countess

‘Eva Ibbotson’s eccentric witches, endangered monsters and friendly ghosts are one of the greatest joys of children’s fiction. Funny, gripping, charming and completely irresistible they are perfect for curling up with at any age’

‘Eva Ibbotson has assumed the mantle of Roald Dahl in her understanding of child appeal’

‘A new book by Eva always lifts the spirits. She understands how children might be inspired and nourished, and she delights in nature, friendship, honesty and liberty’

‘Sparky and humorous… Ibbotson is dexterous with pace and suspense, accessible, always amusing and a treat to read aloud’

‘Any reader presented with this book will be enriched for life’

‘A bubbly and fantastical adventure… Driven by humour and warmth, Journey to the River Sea has an irresistible charm’